Glaucoma Treatment in Odessa TX

Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness around the world for people over 60, but blindness can be avoided if it's diagnosed and treated in time. At Vision Source Odessa, we recommend that all our patients get regular eye exams to allow our eye doctors to diagnose glaucoma cases as early as possible.

What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a disease that damages the eye's optic nerve, and it generally happens due to increased pressure inside the eyeball. The front of the eye is filled with a liquid that's constantly cycling in and out, much like a swimming pool. If the drainage duct gets blocked, pressure can build up inside the eye and cause damage to the optic nerve. The optic nerve carries images from the retina to the brain, and optic nerve damage directly affects the way you see things.

There are other, less common, types of glaucoma that happen suddenly and produce intense symptoms, but the most common type of glaucoma can linger in your eyes for months or years before developing any symptoms at all. This is why regular eye examinations are key to good eye health.

Common Glaucoma Exams in Odessa

The most common type of glaucoma exam is the common "puff test." You'll rest your chin on a cup, looking into a tube. A short puff of air will puff into your eye, and then our eye doctor will move the instrument on to the other eye. This test measures the amount of pressure in each eye.

While the puff test is commonly given to every patient, a more advanced test can give more definitive results. With applanation tonometry, our doctor will give you eye drops to numb your eyes. He'll then gently touch a small probe to the surface of the eye to measure the pressure inside.

Glaucoma Treatment Options

The damage glaucoma does is permanent and can't be reversed. This is why it's so important that your optometrist in Odessa check your eyes regularly. It's very common to diagnose glaucoma before any damage has been done, which allows glaucoma treatment options to prevent damage from happening. We offer a range of treatment options, depending on how advanced your glaucoma is. Some treatment options we offer are:

Eye drop medicine, which is the most common treatment available. These drops reduce pressure in the eye, preventing damage from happening

Laser surgery, which helps open up the drainage angle, allowing more fluid to drain from the eye

Traditional surgery, which is used to physically create a new drainage channel in the eye

Successful treatment for glaucoma is a team effort between you and your optometrist is Odessa. Preventing damage to your eyesight can only happen if you follow your doctor's instructions completely. Use your eye drops exactly as directed, and follow up with further office visits as often as recommended.

A glaucoma diagnosis isn't the scary thing it once was, but an opportunity to get needed treatment. If you haven't had your eyes examined in over a year, call our Odessa, TX, office at 432-362-3133 to make an appointment.

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